


Heart of a Köttbullar

by demigodlybeasts (salytierra)



Category: Magnus Chase and the Gods of Asgard - Rick Riordan, Percy Jackson and the Olympians & Related Fandoms - All Media Types
Genre: Crack Treated Seriously, F/M, Suspense, just read it, unexpected ending, you know you always wanted this particular trope to come true
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-07
Updated: 2019-12-07
Packaged: 2021-02-18 12:57:41
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 976
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21711133
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/salytierra/pseuds/demigodlybeasts
Summary: Annabeth didn’t know how many days has it been since they’ve lost sight of the exit. Or maybe they’ve spent months in there already. Time seemed to bend and swirl in those corridors, abiding by foreign laws as much as the distances did.She squeezed Percy’s hand, afraid to let go. They’ve already lost Hazel and Frank along the way.
Relationships: Annabeth Chase/Percy Jackson
Comments: 1
Kudos: 39





	Heart of a Köttbullar

Annabeth didn’t know how many days has it been since they’ve lost sight of the exit. Or maybe they’ve spent months in there already. Time seemed to bend and swirl in those corridors, abiding by foreign laws as much as the distances did. No matter how many turns they took, how many shortcuts or the paths they tried to follow, the maze had no end. Flashbacks of the Minoan Labyrinth and even Tartarus crossed her mind. Maybe it was silly to compare such horrors to the deceivingly tame nature of their current predicament, yet even Tartarus had a direction, a natural order that pointed them towards a route to follow. It had an end. This did not. 

She squeezed Percy’s hand, afraid to let go. They’ve already lost Hazel and Frank. Cried out for them, asked around in desperation, but nobody had seen them or been able to answer. The sluggish crowd moved around like tired zombies and the uniformed humans stared at them with empty eyes, speaking in plural, as if obeying the will of a hive mind. 

They slept well enough, on plush beds and under warm blankets when exhaustion took over, but was it night or day? She couldn’t tell. 

The couple took another turn and yet another wide space greeted them, this one full of a thousand lights that shone from above and around them like demonic angels. Percy’s stomach growled. He sighed and she produced a packet of oat cookies out of her backpack. They exchanged a tired look. Reluctantly, Percy accepted the cookies and started munching on them, she took one too. At the beginning they’d tasted wonderful, now she was sick of even the sight of them. They’ve had enough cheap hot-dogs, salmon rolls, meatballs and mashed potatoes as well. Enough to last lifetime. And maybe she shouldn’t be complaining about not going hungry and keep finding dining facilities but... she missed the sky. The naked ceiling covered in giant pipes like metal intestines looming over them made her think of the guts of a colossal automaton. 

How had it even started? Percy and her had just moved into their new room at New Rome University and decided to pop by San Francisco to do some shopping. Hazel and Frank with them. Just a fun day out with friends, right? This particular trip had started innocent enough, and was meant to be quick, yet it was hellbent on never ending. No matter what they did or where they went there just was not a way out in sight, just a water-less sea of sup-par wood and fabrics, the same set-up repeating itself like carousel of endless madness. 

Another hour passed, or maybe another day. Percy collapsed against a display of fake vegetation and pulled her down to rest against his shoulder. 

“This is the Odyssey all over again.” He whispered. “Do you think it will take us as long to find our way back home?”

“We have to be hopeful.” She tried to be reassuring, despite her own spirits sinking. “After everything we’ve been through-” 

They sat there, resting and starting at nothing, a sluggish sense of calm descending like a veil on Annabeth’s mind, until Percy tensed up. 

“Hey” He asked “Do these people look, um, different to you?”

Annabeth frowned and focused on the crowd. A few feet away a very buff couple of guys were strolling down the path, holding a big roll of rug between the two of them. Their body build, clothes and beards seemed out of place with the other visitors, and they certainly looked more alert. 

“Should we-?” 

They tried to follow but the pair rounded a corner and disappeared. However as Percy and Annabeth walked in the direction they went in, the zombified crowd started to change. More and more men and women of athletic build and rugged looks kept crossing their path, but even they looked confused when asked where the exit out of the maze was. And the kaleidoscope of kitchen equipment and pillowcases kept swirling around, confusing their minds, making them question their own sanity. 

It was then when Annabeth got distracted and bumped into someone’s back. It was a tall guy with dark skin and a short haircut clad in a grey shirt and military-style pants. His warm, kind eyes seemed worried when they met Annabeth’s and she gave him an absentminded glare. Usually, the inhabitants of this place didn’t even notice if she collided with them or pushed them aside. She was starting to feel like it didn’t matter either.

“Are you alright, miss?” The stranger asked with concern, his accent unmistakably northern. 

“Yes, I’m sorry.” she answered, holding onto Percy’s hand to prevent him from wandering away. 

“TJ did you find- _ **Annabeth!?**_ ” The familiar voice shook her out of her increasing transe-like state.

**Magnus.**

Her cousin Magnus stood frozen just a few feet away, a soap dispenser in hand and staring at her like she was a ghost. 

“How-?” He started, but she cut him short by running into this chest and hugging him tight, a sob escaping her throat. 

“What are you doing here!?” They asked at the same time as she pulled back, holding onto his shoulders. 

“What!? You can’t- you can’t be here!” Magnus shook his head in disbelief. 

“What do you mean we can’t be here?” Percy ran up to them, followed by the guy she’d bumped into earlier. “What are you doing here, man? On the West coast!”

“What do you mean west coast?” Magnus rised his eyebrows at him. “This is Valhalla.”

“WHAT?!” 

“Well” He took a step back, exchanging a look with this friend. “Not exactly. This is Valhalla’s on-site Ikea.”

Percy and Annabeth turned to stare at each other. 

“This cannot be.” Percy said quietly. **“We went into Ikea San Francisco.”**

Annabeth gulped **“And we never left.”**

**Author's Note:**

>   
>  Y'all welcome.


End file.
